After a thrilling end to the 2004 season, all eyes were focused on the ‘Trinidad & Tobago Motorsport Federation’ (TTMF) on March 6th, when the inaugural race of this year’s circuit racing championship got under way. As has been the norm, the meet took place at the Wallerfield Circuit Raceway, which now forms part of a 2-track complex also including the drag strip at the base of the western run-off area. (Click here for details)

At the beginning of last year, the formation of TTMF led to their becoming the sole promoters of circuit racing in T&T, a once dying discipline lacking the proper managerial and organisational skills to become the spectacle it once was. When the Trinidad & Tobago Automobile Sports Association (TTASA) handed over the reigns of governing circuit racing to become a solely administrative body, immediate steps were taken by TTMF to improve driver and spectator comfort, as well as increasing safety and competitiveness. These came in the form of track improvements, including a completely revamped pit lane, new state of the art timing system and development of the surrounding area, as well as minor rule changes.

Together, these alterations resulted in highly competitive, top of the line racing which drew the masses, producing one of the largest spectator turnouts that the Wallerfield Circuit Raceway has seen in many years. As a result, the onus really is on TTMF this year to continue their excellent progress and development of the sport, and with their continual hard work it is obvious that they do not intend to disappoint. The greatly increased level of competition and first-rate driving skills demonstrated has ensured that the rules were left unchanged for the 2005 season, and together with several improvements to the track surface and surrounding area during the off-season, it is evident that the glory days of circuit are being restored.

The initiation of the 2005 season saw both familiar and unfamiliar faces, some in their customary places and others in unusual ones. It was clear from the onset, though, that sensational driving and exciting race action would become the norm, as the obvious improvement in mechanical standards as well as full utilisation of testing allocations was reflected in the pace of the cars; the lethal combination of man and machine manifesting itself in the form of continuously lowering lap times.
At this meet, two quotes came immediately to mind; “Old habits die hard,” and “the more things change, the more they remain the same.” Both of these refer to Daniel Ramoutarsingh, who returned to pit lane following his one year sabbatical. After having won with his Mitsubishi Mivec in Modified Production B, now known as Group 2B, he has returned in another Mitsubishi. This time he has chosen an Evolution 6, and the expected performance of the car and driver did not disappoint.

With a ripping lap time of 44.4 seconds, Daniel was able to win 2 of the 3 Group 2A races, and almost had all 3 had he not spun in the back section in one race, leaving him to finish in second. Ravi Singh, continuing with his beastly yellow ‘Chevron’ 3rd Generation RX7 for the 2005 season, took the chequered flag in that race, as well as coming second in the others. Franklyn Boodram copped 3rd in all 3 Group 2A races, returning to full time action with his Tola tuned Castrol Honda Civic; hopefully he can stay in contention this year and would not be faced with the reliability problems which hampered him in this class for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Gary Hunt, another top 2A competitor, also faced some mechanical gremlins in his ‘Crouching Tiger’ Honda Civic before the start of the meet, and thus was unable to complete any races in this class.

In Group 2B, Franklyn Boodram showed that he was determined to defend his title by winning all the races in this class, taking his Honda CRX to the chequered flag with the skill and determination that has made him a real force to be reckoned with in the local circuit scene. Mark Singh, eager to steal the crown, placed second in all 3 of the 2B races with his Tola tuned Havoline Civic, picking up valuable points and ensuring he would be in the title hunt at this early stage of the season.

Group 1, a class consisting of entirely Nissan B13 Sentras, has always been known for its fierce competition, and this year promises to be no different. David Coelho, who narrowly missed out on winning the championship last year, came out with vengeance winning all 3 of the races in this class. Gary Hunt, who has now taken over the role of driving the Vibe car, was second to the chequered flag each time, assuring that he can and will be a force to be reckoned with in Group 1.

With the first meet in the books, the 2005 season is shaping up to be an even more competitive one than last year, with the entrance of new cars and racing teams. This growing sport, under the wing of TTMF, has really taken a step up, and the large crowd attendances, and more importantly their satisfaction for the level of racing and competition, has reflected the large amount of work put in by administrators, mechanics and drivers alike.

The next meet on May 2nd promises to be one of the best ever locally, as it is Trinidad’s leg of the unofficial ‘tri-island series’ aimed at displaying the best that the Caribbean has to offer, and putting an end to the speculation of what is the best car/driver combination regionally. With the top 10 cars from Barbados and at least 4 from Guyana having assured their presence, this is guaranteed to be a meet full of excitement, entertainment, and racing of the highest quality – a must see for local racing fans, and an attraction for those who have never seen circuit racing before to come ‘check out the scene.’ I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed!!!

You can order hi-res versions of these pics on CD from photographer John Gioannetti!!!
Click here to send an order

Page 1